Surf, River Culture Collide at Teva Mountain Games

Against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains and a bluebird sky the confluence of surf and river culture met here today during the second annual Stand Up Paddle Surf Sprint competition at the Tenth Annual Teva Mountain Games. Sponsored by Maui Jim and presented by C4 Waterman, the SUP Sprint is a three-mile long time trial pitting competitors against the clock and their ability to balance and paddling hard while navigating the challenging rapids of snowmelt-swollen Gore Creek. This is just the second year stand up paddling has been a competitive event at Teva Mountain Games, the Olympics of outdoor adventure sports. In the men’s division, river SUP pioneers and rivals Dan Gavere and Charlie MacArthur avenged their upset loss to last year’s dark horse champion Noa Ginella. Gavere, of Hood River, OR, won top honors with a time of 18:49.27, followed by MacArthur, Aspen, CO, 19:02:53 and Ginella, Sunset Beach, HI in third at 19:09.45. MacArthur said he thought this year’s lower flowing river, more than half the volume as last year, favored those with greater river knowledge. For his own part, MacArthur thought switching from a hard board to C4 Waterman’s 12’6” was another key factor to his silver medal finish. Also wider than the board he used last year, MacArthur said sometimes wider is faster since the more stable platform requires less energy to balance. MacArthur said he also switched to the deeper, longer paddle stroke favored by his Hawaiian teammates. Riding the 12’6” to the top of her division was C4 secret weapon and river ingénue Mariko Strickland of Kauai who finished in 20:58.24. The former semi-pro soccer player said she might have been even faster except for two minor line errors that cost her a few seconds. Even still, Strickland was 16 seconds ahead of whitewater kayak steep creek specialist Nikki Kelly of Rotorua, New Zealand, 21:14:09. Taking third was top-ranked elite ocean SUP pro Candice Appleby of San Clemente, CA, 21:23.38. This was Stickland’s first whitewater experience. While a half dozen practice sessions earlier in the week made her feel confident about her chances, Strickland said she didn’t know what to expect today and stuck to her Kauai mantra “just give ‘em;” translation: just go for it and see what happens. The increase in the number and diversity of participants at Teva Mountain Games could be used as an indicator of the burgeoning popularity of whitewater stand up paddling. Some 78 paddlers registered for this years SUP Sprint, nearly double last year’s 40 entrants. Among this year’s competitors, 17 were women, up from just six last year. In 2010, all but a few competitors hailed from Colorado or C4’s stable of world-renowned SUP surfers from Hawaii, while this year, there was a noticeable influx of contenders from Utah, California and as far away as New Zealand. The dominant board of choice, ridden by some 65 percent of competitors, remained the same as last year, presenting sponsor C4 Waterman’s fleet of rigid inflatable stand up paddle boards, specifically the surf industry acclaimed 12’6” racer and the recently released 10’ Rapid Rider. C4 Waterman co-founder Todd Bradley said he is proud of how his team of athletes and his company’s boards performed but also was clearly pleased with the event as a whole. “Conditions were ideal, organization was flawless, sportsmanship was at a high level and we are especially thankful for the support to Teva, Vail Valley Foundation and Maui Jim for their support of this new, exciting sport.” Visit the Teva Mountain Games official website for complete official race results from today’s Maui Jim SUP Surf Sprint presented by C4 Waterman. ABOUT C4 WATERMAN â€¨C4 Waterman, a Hawaiian company, is a pioneer and leader in the evolution of the waterman lifestyle. With more than 100 years of research and development, C4 delivers unmatched design and technology in stand-up paddling. From their Hawaiian homeland, to the ultimate waves of Tahiti; from the whitewater of the Colorado River, to calm freshwater lakes and streams. C4 Waterman’s values are based on the four core principles of the waterman lifestyle: balance, endurance, strength and tradition. To see the complete line of C4 Waterman products including epoxy and inflatable boards, paddles, rash guards and accessories, visit www.c4waterman.com. For up to the minute news, follow the company on Twitter @C4Waterman and/or become a fan on Facebook.

River and ocean lifestyles melded today high in the Colorado mountains during the inaugural Eddie Bauer/First Ascent Stand Up Paddle Sprint event atÂ Teva Mountain Games.Â Today's historic event was won by 16-year-old rising SUP star Noa Ginella from the North Shore of Oahu who, ...read more

Hawaiians won the top spots in the inaugural Stand Up Paddle Cross event held today, the last day of the 10th Annual Teva Mountain Games. Mariko Strickland of Kauai and Noa Ginella who hails from Hawaii’s legendary North Shore, both paddling for SUPCross presenting sponsor C4 ...read more

The Vail Valley Foundation and C4 Waterman announced today this year's stand up paddling (SUP) events at the 9th annual Teva Mountain Games in Vail, CO, taking place June 3 â€“ 6, 2010. Along with the two brand new SUP events presented by C4 Waterman added to the sport roster ...read more

Team Jackson Kayak continued its dominance at whitewater festivals at the recently concluded Teva Mountain Games at Vail. Led by back-to-back titles in the men's and women's rodeo for a second straight year by father â€“ daughter duo Eric â€œEJâ€ and Emily â€œEmJâ€ Jackson, ...read more

The world's first tandem whitewater surf took place here yesterday when two-time tandem surfing world champion Kalani Vierra lifted Jen Koki into a series of three poses on the Colorado River. On their fifth attempt on the raging river, the duo succeeded in performing classic ...read more

The Teva Mountain Games announces the finalists for the third annual Everest Awards presented by ZestÂ®, recognizing the year's top adventure athletes in eight different categories. Winners will be announced at a public ceremony on Friday, June 1 at the Gerald R. Ford ...read more

(Vail, Colo.) - 2011 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Teva Mountain Games (TMG). What began as a regional, grassroots whitewater competition has transformed into the largest adventure sports festival in the country and serves as the unofficial kickoff to summer in the ...read more

(Vail, Colo.)--Over the past 11 years, Mother Nature has thrown every manner of curve ball at the organizers of the Teva Mountain Games—from sinkholes and snowstorms, to floods and fires. This past winter, as every skier in Colorado knows, left the state with a historically low ...read more

BRUCE RAYMOND JOINS C4 WATERMAN BOARD OF DIRECTORSHONOLULU - (February 18, 2010) - C4 Waterman today announced that it has appointed Bruce Raymond to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.Raymond brings a stellar career of more than 25 years in the surf industry to the ...read more